harrodsfan

4 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

Might be worth asking your neighbour if they’ve had their cough for long. I have a dry cough that I’ve had for a few years. Had X-Rays, doctor’s tried all sorts of treatments and nothing works. Apparently it’s not uncommon as you get older. I do worry that people may think I have COVID.

This is so true! Some high blood pressure medication causes a dry cough! 

We finally got the iPad back today. September 17. Azamara paid for all the shipping.  

Yes, it works.. at least it did in Ravenna.  but you should print out the results. Some ports like a printed result. 

On 9/6/2022 at 5:13 AM, federalexpress said:

 

I suppose if one was being pedantic, one might argue that these are indeed the highest standards, where they are decided upon 'in accordance with' local Health authorities (who are downgrading standards) and the positive direction of the travel industry, that 'direction' being to drop safeguards as part of returning to normal.

 

Obviously different people will have differing views on the soundness of such an approach. Personally I am broadly in favour of normalisation as part of sensible risk management but maybe could argue that the unique qualities of a cruise could justify higher safeguards than in normal life.

 

Of course, if you dig deep enough, logic can be shredded at every turn. Personally I'd much sooner have next to me an unvaccinated person who had Covid in the past 4 weeks than someone who was vaccinated 9 months ago. And, one step further, the best person might be someone testing positive at boarding but symptom free, in other words, they might have had a very recent vax or more likely infection and still have enough traces to test positive but they are, I think, the least likely to get infected from that point and thus infect me. It's a complicated we we weave...

Well I was the vaccinated person who had Covid three weeks before the cruise. A very mild case. Kept testing positive for 16 days even though I had no symptoms and felt fine. Almost didn’t get to go on the cruise. I was in constant communication with Azamara. My “ case” and the situation gave them a real life example of the vicissitudes of testing. Three days after we got on the boat Azamara emailed me to tell me,just before it was announced,  that they were dropping the testing for vaccinated and boosted individuals. As you said… someone who had recently had Covid would probably be the safest passenger to have. 

On 8/9/2022 at 4:56 PM, Port Power said:

Yes, thongs/flip flops have never been appropriate footwear for dinner in any MDR.

According to the Azamara guidelines the only inappropriate footwear is bare feet. 

And q tips too

If you have a suite you can board anytime. We did not wait at all. Just walked in. From arriving to Dock to room in less than a half hour and that included muster drill. Got our bags quickly too! 

Our vacation on Azamara this summer was anxiety ridden as there were so many unknowns. We too were worried about having to change to a tiny cabin is we were to become I’ll. However that fear was laid to rest. Having to test before we got on the ship was also at the top of the list. I got Covid a week before our first of Btb cruises. It was a super light case as we had just gotten our boosters and my husband never got it. But I kept testing positive until the day before we were to fly to meet the ship. We spent three days in Bologna in our hotel room as we didn’t want to get exposed. Fortunately we tested negative and were able to board. Three days later they announced that they were dropping the testing requirements for most ports. However one port it’s not dropped for is Athens and that’s the embarking port for our next cruise in May. Hope they drop the requirement by then!  

A better simpler choice if you don’t like winding roads is Ravenna. The mosaics in the churches are breathtaking. One of the highlights of our trip. Bologna is a beautiful city too. And thanks for the tips on Rimini. 

Happy 75 th birthday to you. I can see why the White night celebration decision waits till the last minute.. and waiting to get reservations for the specialty restaurants also is really not an issue. They are really not overbooked. Its$$$ unless you are in a suite. Just go as soon as you are on the ship. They will at that time tell you when the white night celebration is. 

Yes it is chargerback,,, auto correct.😬 and btw.. while my husbands iPad was found and sent to them over a month later it still has not been shipped. After we paid over $200 for shipping! Azamara has gotten involved after repeated emails. They are going to have it shipped to them in Florida and then to us. Obviously it was our fault to leave it.. but still. The problem seems to be with the Royal Caribbean/Azamara interface.

We have sailed on Oceana, Viking, celebrity, regent and Azamara. We quite liked Azamara the best. 
the food was fine, the staff were friendly and entertainment was varied. A few very well behaved and delightful children on board. We actually like the other passenger a lot too. Warm and friendly, not pretentious. Easy going. From all over. 

On 7/28/2022 at 12:25 AM, Medeba said:

I agree with @Grandma Cruising.  The only problem I have with the large oceanview cabins on decks 6 and 7 is the noise from the anchor when it's used: can be an early wake up call!  Otherwise, the extra space in these cabins is really good.

And it’s really bad when you have an overnight at anchor. 

2 hours ago, excitedofharpenden said:

I think the moral of the story is it's your responsibility to ensure that you don't leave anything behind. If you do then best endeavours, but it may end up costing you.  Might be simpler to claim on your insurance if its covered. 

 

Phil 

Of course. We are lucky. We’ve traveled to over 100 countries and this is the first time we have left anything of value anywhere. It was left in the bed under the covers. I checked my side of the bed and not my husbands. We always do a double check of every drawer in the room etc. it was our responsibility. The $200 charge will remind us to be even more vigilant. Fortunately my husband still had his iPhone. 

20 hours ago, tgg said:

 

I'm a little confused. In your first post, you never mentioned that your husband's IPad had been found.  Could you share with us how you were notified and also why it is costing $200 for the shipping?

It was found by Azamara and put in the onboard lost and found. When the next cruise was over it was forwarded to the firm that handles lost items.. chargeback.com. They charge for the shipping. FedEx. It seems to take a long time but we followed up with Azamara and they said it’s on its way. It has to go though customs?? 

We are still waiting for notification that my husbands iPad will be shipped. Paid over $200 for the shipping. It’s been three weeks. It is taking a ridiculously long time. Fortunately we are able to track it for a while through the “ find my “ app. But the battery is dead now. 

The issue will be getting a taxi to the port from the train station. 

Yes praise a bit before hand. 

I would suggest do your own research! Especially with maps for local areas. But every morning at a new port guest relations in the fourth floor will have some maps and port information. The port info is ok.l found most of the maps for our med cruise not too helpful. There are some good port websites to check online. 

On our cruise chiefs table was available most nights if demand warranted it. 

We were on the july 18 journey cruise and no mention of Covid was made. Few wore masks except crew. I do know of two crew members that had it at the begging of the trip. 

We were in a forward suite 6003 and  the suitcases did not fit under the bed except our rolling garment bags. Which we could unzip and lay flat. 

Make sure to go as soon as you get on and you should have no issue. We mostly ate in specialty restaurants as we were in a suite. So no extra charge, there were plenty of free tables most nights. Of course our cruise was just 65% full. 

In Heraklion the best thing to do is go to the ruins of Knossos and the museum in town. 
in corfu we planned to do the hoho bus. 

Yes it is.